Page 50 of Her Daring Earl
“Eliza!” her mother started, her hand flying to her breast.
“I’m sorry, Mother, I know it was the name of your favorite great-aunt, but while you were an obedient daughter and listened to your mother, I have not fallen suit. I am certainly not going to begin by naming my daughter such a monstrous name.”
“I rather like the Gertrude part of it,” Fitz’s mother murmured beside Lady Willoughby, placing a comforting hand on her back before clearing her throat.
“Based on this conversation… do the two of you have news to share with us, perhaps of abetrothal?”
Fitz tried to meet Eliza’s gaze but was unable to do so as she currently had her eyes closed, her head tilted up toward the sky in supplication, as though she was waiting for the heavens to open and save her from this situation.
This situation, meaning him and potentially, his child.
Lady Willoughby was currently fanning herself as though the heat of the day – or this conversation – had overcome her.
“We were just speaking about that, actually,” he said with pleasantness as though he was referring to whether or not they were going to take tea together that afternoon.
“This is all my fault,” Lady Willoughby was murmuring, wringing her hands together as she stared into the distance. “I was far too lenient. I thought I was doing the right thing to let her do as she wanted but now… oh dear… I was wrong.”
“Mother!” Eliza exclaimed, her mother’s reaction snapping her out of her own. “Do not say that, please,” she said as she rushed over and took her mother’s hands. “You are the bestwomanI have ever known, let alone the best mother. You have done nothing wrong, I promise you that.”
“Yes, but…” her mother started, bringing a hand to her forehead as she gestured toward Fitz and then Eliza’s middle region with her other. “This should not have happened.”
“Perhaps not,” Eliza agreed. “But all is not lost.”
“You are unmarried,” her mother bit out. “With child.”
“I believe I am with child, yes,” Eliza agreed, looking over at Fitz. Her expression was not the one of resignation he expected but rather one that said, well, they were now in this together. “I am unmarried at the moment, but that will not be an issue for much longer.”
“You’ll marry me, then?” Fitz said, surprised at the excitement in his tone. Excitement that was coming from an unexpected place within him.
He still couldn’t say that he completely trusted Eliza, although he had been telling the truth when he told Levi that his instinct said she would never contrive such a thing.
If he was doing this, however – and now, it seemed that he had no choice – then he was all in, as he was in whatever he did.
Wife, child, family – it was coming hurtling toward him at a frightening speed. And yet he was going to welcome it.
He didn’t have much other choice.
“Yes,” she said with a nod, her eyes fiery as she stared at him. “I will marry you.”
CHAPTER 18
Eliza’s future might be out of her hands now, but she was not a woman to sit around and allow things to happen to her. She needed answers – and there was only one man who could provide them.
Which was why she was now sitting in his bedchamber awaiting his arrival, tapping her foot impatiently, even though he did not know that she was here.
After the confrontation between Eliza, Fitz, and their mothers in the orchard, the women had convened in the drawing room. Even though all of the ladies who were closest to her in the entire world had been at her side – her mother, Siena, Henrietta, Sloane, as well as the rest of the women in Fitz’s family – Eliza’s cheeks had remained rather heated as she had stumbled through a half-fabricated explanation about how she and Fitz had drawn closer over the past few weeks and had decided that they would be well matched.
Eliza had seen the rather skeptical expressions on the women’s faces, but they had accepted the story – what other choice did they have?
She sat up quickly now in the armchair in front of the fireplace when the door opened, and Fitz stepped into the room.He didn’t immediately look up, as he was rubbing his fists over his eyes, giving her the opportunity to take a closer look at him without him noticing.
She had always found him striking. Add that to his charm and it was easy to see why women were so intrigued by him.
She wondered if that was going to be a problem in their marriage. If theirs would even be a marriage in truth or one in name like she had heard of so many times before. How sad would that be?
His hands fluttered away from his face, which was full of exhaustion. Was that all because of her or were there other factors at play?
“Fitz?” she said tentatively, and he jumped when he saw her.
